CA2865142A1 - Drive mechanism for a vertical animal feed mixer - Google Patents

Drive mechanism for a vertical animal feed mixer Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2865142A1
CA2865142A1 CA2865142A CA2865142A CA2865142A1 CA 2865142 A1 CA2865142 A1 CA 2865142A1 CA 2865142 A CA2865142 A CA 2865142A CA 2865142 A CA2865142 A CA 2865142A CA 2865142 A1 CA2865142 A1 CA 2865142A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
drive
bottom wall
drive mechanism
container
coupling
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA2865142A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Victor Rousseau
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA2865142A priority Critical patent/CA2865142A1/en
Publication of CA2865142A1 publication Critical patent/CA2865142A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01KANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K5/00Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
    • A01K5/001Fodder distributors with mixer or shredder
    • A01K5/004Fodder distributors with mixer or shredder with mixing or shredding element rotating on vertical axis
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01FMIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F27/00Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders
    • B01F27/05Stirrers
    • B01F27/11Stirrers characterised by the configuration of the stirrers
    • B01F27/17Stirrers with additional elements mounted on the stirrer, for purposes other than mixing
    • B01F27/172Stirrers with additional elements mounted on the stirrer, for purposes other than mixing for cutting, e.g. with knives
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01FMIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F27/00Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders
    • B01F27/80Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a substantially vertical axis
    • B01F27/92Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a substantially vertical axis with helices or screws
    • B01F27/921Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a substantially vertical axis with helices or screws with helices centrally mounted in the receptacle
    • B01F27/9212Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a substantially vertical axis with helices or screws with helices centrally mounted in the receptacle with conical helices
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01FMIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F35/00Accessories for mixers; Auxiliary operations or auxiliary devices; Parts or details of general application
    • B01F35/30Driving arrangements; Transmissions; Couplings; Brakes
    • B01F35/33Transmissions; Means for modifying the speed or direction of rotation

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Birds (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Apparatuses For Bulk Treatment Of Fruits And Vegetables And Apparatuses For Preparing Feeds (AREA)

Abstract

A drive mechanism for a vertical feed mixer is described. The vertical feed mixer has an open-top-end container provided with a vertically supported auger having a helical vane with cutting blades secured thereto. The drive mechanism has a planetary gear box mounted above a bottom wall of the container and coupled to the auger inside a lower end thereof. The gear train in the gear box is driven by a drive coupling extending below the bottom wall of the container for receiving a rotatable drive of a motor drive train disposed in a restrictive space under the bottom wall providing for a reduction in height of the mixer or increase in the size of the container. The drive coupling inside the auger also provides for added torque and stability to the chopping member.

Description

DRIVE MECHANISM FOR A VERTICAL ANIMAL FEED MIXER
TECHNICAL FIELD
(0001) The present invention relates to a drive mechanism for a vertical animal feed mixer for cutting and mixing hay, forage and other animal feed ingredients and the dispensing of the mixed feed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(0002) Vertical feed mixers provided with vertically driven augers are known for chopping bales of hay or other harvested crop for chopping the crop into small pieces to produce feed for feeding animals such a cows, sheep, etc. Examples thereof can be found in US Patents 5,601,362 and 5,803,375, for example. As can be observed from these patented vertical feed mixers, they are very large in construction and therefore occupy large space in a barn where feedstock is to be dispensed to feed the animals housed therein. The augers vertically supported in their containers are driven by a gear box coupled to a shaft which is rotated the power take-off of a tractor, thus requiring the coupling to a tractor and therefore requiring space.
(0003) When feeding milk producing animals such as cows which are tied in stalls, there is provided a mobile vertical feed mixer which is mounted on wheels which may be motorised and displaced on a concrete corridor disposed adjacent the stalls. The vertical feed mixer has an open-top-end enclosure in which harvested feed stock is introduced from the top opening for dispensing to the animals as the feed mixer is displaced adjacent the stalls. The dispensing can be done automatically or manually.
Because space adjacent the stalls is restrictive as well as the height of the building , there is a need to construct such a vertical feed mixer as compact as possible while maintaining a reasonable volume of feed stock in the mixer. One type of such vertical fee mixer has its vertically supported choppers driven by a motor and a gear train assembly supported under the bottom wall of the open-top-end container and such drive assembly occupies valuable vertical space which restricts the height of the feed stock container due to its use in low ceiling barn structures and therefore restricts the volume of feed stock capable of being disposed in the container. There is therefore a need to provide solutions to such vertical animal feed mixers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
(0004) It is a feature of the present invention of to provide a drive mechanism for a vertical feed mixer which overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages of the known prior art vertical feed mixers using vertical drive augers.
(0005) It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a drive mechanism for a vertical feed mixer wherein a gear box of the drive assembly is supported above a top wall of the container and housed in a lower end of the auger and wherein the drive of the gear box occupies a small restrictive space under the bottom wall of the container.
(0006) According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a drive mechanism for a vertical feed mixer which has an open-top-end container defined by a bottom wall and a circumferential side wall. One or more vertically supported augers, having cutting blades mounted thereon, are rotatively secured in the container above the bottom wall. The augers are supported at a lower end thereof on a gear drive assembly disposed in the lower end of the augers above the bottom wall. The gear drive assembly imparts rotation to the augers. The gear drive assembly has a coupling drive shaft for connection with a drive coupling of the augers.
The gear drive assembly has a coupling shaft extending below the bottom wall of the container for receiving a rotatable drive of a motor drive train disposed in a restrictive space under the bottom wall.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(0007) A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings is which:
(0008) Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vertical feed mixer having a vertically supported auger driven by the drive mechanism of the present invention;
(0009) Figure 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 showing the location of the drive motor to a side of the container above the bottom wall of the container and the restrictive space for the motor drive train;
(0010) Figure 3 is a section view, partly fragmented, illustrating the location of the planetary gear assembly housing and the construction of the vertical feed mixer;
(0011) Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmented side view showing the coupling and securement of the planetary gear box to the vertical feed mixer and the belt drive of the motor;
(0013) Figure 5 is an exploded view showing the component parts of the drive mechanism of the present invention and associated parts of the vertical feed mixer, and (0014) Figure 6 is a top view of the vertical feed mixer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(0015) Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown generally at 10 a vertical feed mixer of the type adapted with the drive mechanism of the present invention, as will be described in detail below. The vertical feed mixer 10 is comprised generally by an open-top-end container 10' having a bottom wall 11 and a circumferential side wall 12. Although not shown, the vertical feed mixer is usually mounted on a wheel support undercarriage. A vertically supported auger 13 is rotatively mounted above the bottom wall 11 and has a support post 14 provided with a helical vane 15 which tapers in width towards the top end 14' of the support post 14 and secured thereabout. Cutting blades 16 are also removably secured to the outer edge 17 of the helical vane 15 and at predetermined spaced intervals.
(0016) A feed dispensing opening 18 is provided in the circumferential side wall 12 (see Fig. 6) adjacent the bottom wall 11 of the container and the size of the opening is controlled by a slide gate 19 secured over the outer surface 12'of the side wall and displaceable over the opening 18 to vary the size thereof. The slide gate 19 is driven by a motor 20 which is activated by a control, not shown. As shown in Fig.2, the bottom wall 11 has a flat flange wall extension 21 which extends outwardly from the peripheral side wall 12 and on the top surface thereof is mounted a drive motor 22 for imparting rotation to the auger 13. A restrictive space 23 is defined under the bottom wall 11 and protected between narrow protective flanges or a drive train housing 24 having a removable wall for access therein and formed as a narrow space under the bottom wall 11 and the flange wall extension 21. Brackets 25 are secured under the bottom wall 11 for securing the vertical feed mixer to a displaceable means, not shown.
(0017) Referring now additionally to Figures 3 and 4, there will be described the drive mechanism to impart rotation to the auger 13. It comprises a planetary gear assembly 30 which is mounted in a cylindrical gear housing 31 which is secured on the bottom wall 11 by such means as welding or bolt fasteners. As shown in Fig. 5, the gear housing 31 is centrally secured on top of the bottom wall 11. The planetary gear assembly 30 is not shown in details and as is obvious to a person skilled in the art it may have many gear train configurations. The planetary gear assembly 30 has a top coupling drive shaft 32 configured to connect to a coupling connection 33 secured inside the support post 14 in a lower hollow cylindrical drive coupling cavity dimensioned to house the cylindrical gear housing 31. The planetary gear assembly 30 also has a coupling shaft 35 extending below the bottom wall 11 for receiving a rotatable drive of the motor 22.
(0018) The coupling shaft 35 of the planetary gear assembly 30 has a driven pulley 36 secured thereto. Likewise, as better shown in Fig. 5, the motor drive shaft 37 is provided with a drive pulley 38 located on the same horizontal plane as the driven pulley 36. The drive pulley 38 is coupled to the driven pulley 36 by endless belts 39 and 39'.
Has herein shown, these pulleys 36 and 38 are double sheave pulleys. The pulleys and endless belts may also be constituted by sprockets and an interconnecting endless link chain, but such is heavier and more noisy which is undesirable when working adjacent animals as the noise is irritating to the animals. The pulleys and belt drive also can be fitted in the narrow restrictive space 23 under the bottom wall and thus the entire drive assembly occupies very little space under the bottom wall 11 of the vertical feed mixer and thus providing a lower profiled apparatus or an increase of the space inside the animal feed container 10'.

(0019) As shown in Fig. 5, the top wall 36 of the cylindrical gear housing 31 is formed as a circumferential flange wall provided with spaced apart holes 37 to receive fasteners (not shown) for securing the planetary gear assembly 30 thereunder. A central opening 38 is formed by the flanged top wall 36 for the passage of the coupling drive shaft 32.
As also shown in Fig. 4, the coupling connection 33 is secured to a support wall 40 welded inside the hollow bottom end of the support post 14 and it maintains the chopping member 13 bottom end closely spaced above the bottom wall 11. The hollow cylindrical lower end 41 of the support post has a cross-section for close space fit about the cylindrical gear housing 31. Because the gear housing is mounted inside the lower end of the support post 14, there is provided better torque transfer to the support post and a more stable connection and better resistance to lateral loads when hay bales or other feed product load is inserted in the open-top-end container.
(0020) As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the lower end 42 of the helical vane 15 of the auger 13 extends closely spaced the inner surface of the lower end of the inwardly tapered circumferential side wall 12 and accordingly the feed discharge opening 18. A
vertically disposed cutting blade 43 is removably secured to the outer edge 17 at the bottom end of the helical vane15 whereby to prevent build-up of chopped feed products adjacent the opening against the inner surface of the side wall 12.
(0021) It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims. As examples only thereof, the housing 10'can be made larger in a stretched oval configuration and housing two augers both interconnected to the motor drive train described above. Other feed mixtures may also be automatically dispensed in the container for admixture with chopped hay or other cultivated feed products as it is dispensed through the feed discharge opening 18.

Claims (11)

CLAIMS :
1. A drive mechanism for a vertical feed mixer wherein the apparatus is comprised by an- open- top end container defining a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall, said vertical feed mixer having one or more vertically supported augers having cutting blades mounted thereon and supported in a lower end thereof on a gear drive assembly disposed above said bottom wall, said gear drive assembly imparting rotation to said one or more augers, said gear drive assembly having a coupling drive shaft for connection with a drive coupling of said auger, said gear drive assembly having a coupling shaft extending below said bottom wall of said enclosure for receiving a rotatable drive of a motor drive train disposed in a restrictive space under said bottom wall.
2. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said gear drive assembly is comprised by a planetary gear assembly supported in a cylindrical gear box housing secured on said bottom wall, said coupling drive shaft extending vertically from a top wall of said cylindrical gear box housing.
3. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 2 wherein said cylindrical gear box housing has a longitudinal axis which extends vertically above said bottom wall, said lower end of said one or more chopping members is a hollow cylindrical lower end adapted to receive therein said cylindrical gear box housing.
4. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein said motor drive train is comprised by a driven pulley secured to said coupling shaft, a motor secured on a motor support adjacent said open-top-end container and disposed above a plane of said bottom wall of said open-top-end container, a drive pulley secured to a drive shaft of said motor and disposed under said motor support with said drive pulley disposed in substantially planar alignment with said driven pulley; and an endless member interconnecting said drive pulley with said driven pulley to impart a rotational drive of said motor to said coupling shaft, said planetary gear assembly and said coupling drive shaft.
5. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 4 wherein said endless member is an endless belt, said motor support being constituted by a flange wall extension of said bottom wall of said vertical feed mixer, said flange wall extension disposed outwardly from said peripheral side wall of said vertical feed mixer.
6. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein said top wall of said cylindrical gear box housing has a circumferential flange provided with holes to receive fasteners for securing said planetary gear assembly thereunder, and a central opening in said top wall for the passage of said coupling drive shaft.
7. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein said one or more vertically supported augers comprise a cylindrical support post having a helical vane secured thereabout, said helical vane having a width which tapers towards a top end of said support post, and cutting blades being removably secured to an outer edge of said helical vane at predetermined spaced intervals therealong.
8. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 7 wherein said support post bottom end section constitutes said hollow cylindrical lower end, said hollow cylindrical lower end being dimensioned for close spacing fit about said cylindrical gear box housing to provide stability and strength to said auger when rotated.
9. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 8 wherein said cylindrical gear box housing provides for said gear drive assembly to be positioned inside said bower end of said auger above said bottom wall of said vertical feed product mixer permitting for a reduction in height of said mixer or an increase in volume of said container, said recessed drive coupling inside said support post providing improved resistance to lateral loads during chopping operation of said auger.
10. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 7 wherein a lower end of said helical vane extends closely spaced from one or more feed discharge doors provided in said circumferential side wall adjacent said bottom wall of said container, and a vertically disposed cutting blade removably secured to said outer edge for preventing build-up of chopped feed products adjacent said feed discharge doors.
11. The drive mechanism as claimed in claim 10 wherein said open-top-end container has said circumferential side wall thereof tapering inwardly towards said bottom wall.
CA2865142A 2014-09-30 2014-09-30 Drive mechanism for a vertical animal feed mixer Abandoned CA2865142A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2865142A CA2865142A1 (en) 2014-09-30 2014-09-30 Drive mechanism for a vertical animal feed mixer

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2865142A CA2865142A1 (en) 2014-09-30 2014-09-30 Drive mechanism for a vertical animal feed mixer

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2865142A1 true CA2865142A1 (en) 2016-03-30

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA2865142A Abandoned CA2865142A1 (en) 2014-09-30 2014-09-30 Drive mechanism for a vertical animal feed mixer

Country Status (1)

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CA (1) CA2865142A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN115486516A (en) * 2022-09-03 2022-12-20 宁波泰一健康产业有限公司 Preparation method of millet congee freeze-dried block with stomach warming effect and homogenizing equipment thereof

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN115486516A (en) * 2022-09-03 2022-12-20 宁波泰一健康产业有限公司 Preparation method of millet congee freeze-dried block with stomach warming effect and homogenizing equipment thereof
CN115486516B (en) * 2022-09-03 2024-04-02 宁波泰一健康产业有限公司 Preparation method and homogenizing equipment of millet congee freeze-dried block with stomach warming effect

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
FZDE Discontinued

Effective date: 20171002